I scream, you scream, we all CRY for ice cream!

Can someone please tell me what is it with kids and the ice cream truck!? It’s like they become obsessed and go NUTS, as soon as they hear the truck from miles away. Don’t get me wrong, I too, when I was younger, would hear that “Pop goes the Weasle” tune and would ask my parents for money, but my kids…..well, they’re a whole different story.

Moving to the suburbs from San Francisco was definitely a change. The neighborhoods were just like the ones you’d see in the movies. More space (home wise), more land, nicer weather and the streets were filled with kids playing til wee hours of the night. When Toan and I moved out here with our three children in 2005, it was great. We had moved into a neighborhood that was very family oriented and more importantly, had kids the same age as ours. Little did we know, that a neighborhood with kids, meant ICE CREAM TRUCK!!! Ah, yes…the truck that drove up and down our street several times during the day. A blessing or a nuisance? Hmmm….

Vanessa, Robert, and Ryan, (18,15 and 13) were really good about purchasing ice cream from the truck when they were younger. Yes, they’d hear the tune, blocks away, but they didn’t go “crazy” like my last three brats do. Or perhaps, it’s that I’ve forgotten. Nicholas, Erik and NOW Emma are a totally different story. Nicholas (5 yrs), can hear that truck come from MILES away and when he does, all hell breaks loose. It’s like he begins to have an anxiety attack if he’s indoors and begins to BEG for money. Going through my “junk drawer” in the kitchen, he begins to scoop up all my loose coins and dashes for the front door, not knowing if he even has enough to purchase his treat. At first, I thought it was funny. But after awhile, it drove me nuts. But the kids got smart. Now, every time we visit grandma, she gives him money for ice cream. She’s heard of his “silly” stories of how he’d chase the ice cream truck down the street with no money in hand. Or how he’d scream “STOP!!” for the ice cream truck to stop… But by then, it’s was too late and the next thing you knew, I had a crying kid I had to deal with. So, yes….good ol’ grandma contributes to his addiction for Spiderman Popsicle with bubble gum eye balls, or his craving for a “Missile” Bar that half the time is melting down his arm, before he has a chance to finish it!

And if that’s not bad, I NOW have two other little demons who imitate their older brother. Erik, my 3 year old, whether he’s in or outdoors, will start yelling at the top of his lungs, making sure I KNOW the ice cream truck is here! With two dollars, scrunched in his hands, he’ll run barefoot down the street and try to tell the man what he wants before I even get to the truck. Half the time, the guy doesn’t understand Erik and I don’t understand the man. Ugh! Then there’s Ms. Emma, my 2 year old. The kid is still learning to speak. But she sure can say “ice keem” and “stop.” She could be watching cartoons, and as soon as she hears the infamous tune coming from our friendly, neighborhood ice cream truck, she too, darts for the door and jumps up and down. Whoa!!

So, is it just me or have our kids gone gaga over this truck with pretty pictures of popsicles, plastered throughout the vehicle? And the TUNE…..aahhh!! Is it really necessary to hear that several times a day? I wonder what the ice cream man thinks….”ok, let me blast this song and see how many kids or parents, I can make go nuts?”. Perhaps, it is because I have gotten older and don’t see ” Mr. Ice Cream” man the same, but my kids LOVE him. I guess with the number of kids I have, it will be me putting the ice cream man’s kids through college. And to think, with summer and warmer weather approaching, it’ll only get better! Gotta love ice cream!